Upgraded to “gold standards” with braille signage and posters, automatic door controllers, walls, adorned with pictures of tourist locations in New Delhi and Chandigarh, in addition to other facilities — passengers are happy with the new look of the refurbished Shatabdi Express 12045/46, which runs between the two destinations. The train was, however, officially launched on Saturday, though introduced on Christmas.

During a press conference held at Chandigarh railway station, Ambala Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) Dinesh Sharma said they have been working on improving the trains for a long time. “Finally, we have upgraded the Shatabdi. Many improvements have been made to the existing coaches so that our passengers can have a pleasant and different experience while traveling. The staff have also been trained to exhibit better behaviour. We intentionally called for the press conference after 10 days so that we could get proper feedback from our passengers.” And so was it. Rita Bedi, a frequent traveller said the whole look of the train gives a positive vibe. “It looks extremely clean and hygienic. The journey should be pleasant and this is a step in the right direction,” said Bedi.

Praising the move, Rajan Sharma, a city resident, said, “It feels amazing to see this change in the train. I travel a lot and this upgrade will make the already wonderful experience in the Shatabdi much better.”

The Northern Railway had tasked the Ambala division to upgrade the New Delhi-Chandigarh Shatabdi Express 12045/46. Ambala division railway officials said that the upgrade had cost around Rs 2.2 lakh per coach.

Anti-abrasive paint has been used for luggage rack and roof, officials said. “The lavatories also have been upgraded with good quality locks, automatic hygiene and odour controllers, modular liquid soap containers as well as personal seat cover dispensers with dustbins next to the door. The odour controllers have also been installed in every compartment,” said an official.

Railway officials added the exteriors have been coated with an anti-graffiti material to protect the paint and maintain the elegant look. “Additional posters containing helpline numbers and safety measures in the train are also among the new installations,” said the official.